


Hold Me, So I'm Not Falling Apart

by aaesthetic



Series: Transgender!Richie [1]
Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Bisexual Richie Tozier, Comfort, Eddie Kaspbrak - Freeform, Fluff, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, IT (1990) - Freeform, It (2017) - Freeform, Losers club - Freeform, One Shot, Richie Tozier - Freeform, Supportive!Eddie, Trans!Richie, teen reddie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-08 03:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14096037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aaesthetic/pseuds/aaesthetic
Summary: Eddie comforts Richie, who's having a very rough night.





	Hold Me, So I'm Not Falling Apart

**Author's Note:**

> [DISCLAIMER]
> 
> I'm not transgender, so I only know the basics of the issues that a transgender person can deal with. If I get anything wrong, please leave a comment and we can sort it out.
> 
> Thank you!

Eddie was fifteeen on the night that he and Richie had one of their weekly sleepovers; only this time, it was different.

Eddie's mother had to go out for the night; she claimed she had a hospital appointment that she had made due to having a ticklish throat. Eddie knew that she would be there for a while, because she would probably try to blow whatever it was out of proportion.

At first, it was just the usual; they sat on Eddie's sofa, watching movies as they snuggled in one another's arms —they were very touchy-feely, despite only being friends.

Then, they had decided to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and Eddie ended up scolding Richie on more than one occasion because the curly haired boy continuously came close to burning himself on the oven.

They ate the cookies —which were slightly burned, but they loved them —in Eddie's bedroom as they read comics together. It was what they did every single Friday night, but they both loved the time they spent together and cherished it.

Come eleven-forty-five-pm, both Richie and Eddie were exhausted from school during the day and messing around that night.

"Are you sure you want to wear that hoodie? You'll get really warm while you sleep." Eddie quizzed softly, looking to the oversized 'Led Zepplin' hoodie that swallowed Richie's skinny frame.

"No, no. I'll, uh, I'll be fine." Richie murmured almost silently, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of the hoodie nervously. Eddie noticed his strange, sudden change in behaviour, and took a few steps closer.

"Are you okay, Rich?" He asked gently, reaching up to push some of Richie's black curls away from his face. Their eyes met and Richie nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Eds."

"Are you sure?" 

Richie nodded again, offering Eddie a weak smile, which was returned immediately. "Let's get some sleep, I'm sure you're tired." Eddie combed his fingers through Richie's untamed hair, grinning when Richie practically purred at the attention.

Soon, they were both laying in their sleeping bags —Eddie wasn't keen on sleeping on his bed because he didn't want Richie to sleep on the floor by himself —and were on their sides facing each other.

Eddie had switched off his nightstand lamp, which had been the only source of light in the room, but they could still see each other in the dark faintly.

"Sweet dreams, Richie." Eddie whispered, his hand leaving his sleeping bag to reach for Richie's, who grasped onto his gently. Their fingers lay between them on the carpet, interlaced like the wicker of a woven picnic basket.

"Goodnight, Eds." Richie lifted Eddie's hand to his lips and kissed the back of his hand softly, and with that; Eddie drifted off to sleep.

[❦]

Eddie woke later that night, to the sound of soft whimpers and hushed sniffles coming from somewhere in his room. First, he looked to the digital clock, which told him that it was one o'clock in the morning.

Then, he sat up and turned to Richie, who he could just about see, was sat up in his unzipped sleeping bag, his body seemingly shaking.

"Richie, are you okay?" He asked, "Hold on, I'm going to turn on the light." He shuffled over to the nightstand where his lamp sat, and reached up to turn it on.

"Eds, don't-"

Richie's protests came too late as Eddie had already switched on the light and had turned to face Richie. His expression quickly turned concerned when he noticed the tears streaking his pink cheeks and the almost heartbroken look in his eyes.

His gaze then travelled down to Richie's sweatpants, which were stained a dark red on the material at the front. Eddie's eyes widened and he crawled over to Richie. "Richie, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Richie just shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut, causing a few more tears to slip from his eyes. Swiftly, he stood up from his sleeping bag and rushed into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind him.

Eddie jumped up and walked over to the bathroom door quickly. "Richie, are you okay?" He knocked lightly on the wood, hoping that Richie would let him in, but he just continued to sob behind the door.  
"Talk to me, 'Chee." 

It was silent for a minute or so, before Richie spoke in a hushed tone. "Do you have any pads that I could use?" He asked, sniffling immediately after.

Eddie —although he didn't know what was really happening —replied gently, "Of course, Richie. They're in the cupboard underneath the sink." 

"Would you like a change of clothes?" He asked, assuming Richie would probably need to change.  
"Yes, please." 

"Okay, hold on a second, 'Chee." Eddie murmured before walking to his dresser and opening the drawers, rummaging through them and taking out a pair of boxers and a pair of sweatpants.

"Is it okay if you open the door, so I can give you these clothes?" Not long after he had spoken, the door opened slightly, just enough for Eddie to give Richie the clothes through the door, although he couldn't see the curly haired boy —only his pale hand was visible.

Eddie walked away from the bathroom door and sat down on his bed, waiting for Richie to come out. While he waited, he tried to make sense of the situation.

_Why had Richie been bleeding?_

Eventually, the bathroom door opened and Richie walked out, wiping his eyes and holding his pair of stained sweatpants and boxers. Eddie quickly stood and made his way across the room to him, taking the sweatpants and boxers from Richie and setting them in the hamper in the corner of his room.

He took Richie's hand into his own gently, and led him towards the bed, sitting him down on the comforter and then sitting down himself, across from Richie.

Richie sat with his legs crossed Indian style, Eddie doing the same. The taller boy's head was angled towards the comforter of the bed, but when Eddie interlaced the fingers of his right hand with the fingers on Richie's left, he looked up.

"What's going on, bubba?" Eddie asked, wiping the tears from underneath Richie's eyes gingerly. "If you tell me, I can try to make you feel better." He whispered, offering Richie a small, reassuring smile.

"I—" Richie choked on his own voice, and Eddie hushed him softly.

"Take your time, 'Chee, there's no rush." Richie inhaled deeply, feeling dizzy at the thought of sharing such a secret with someone —he was just glad that it was his Eddie, though.

"This is the first time that's happened to me; but I know why it did." He started shakily, "It's because I'm not a real boy, I was born as a girl."

Suddenly, it seemed like all of the puzzle pieces had fallen into place —it all made sense now. This explained the huge hoodies that Richie would wear to hide the fact that he was developing, the fact that he refused to swim in the water at the quarry with the rest of the losers, the fact that his voice hadn't broken like the rest of the boys in their class and how uncomfortable he became when people asked him about these things.

"I'm sorry." Richie whispered, fresh tears forming and glossing over his eyes, providing them with a soft, glassy effect. Eddie's eyebrows immediately furrowed, and he squeezed Richie's hand gently.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked, quite honestly confused, as to why Richie was trying to apologise. 

"Because I'm not supposed to be like this; my mom and dad always tell me that I'm a girl and that's not going to change. They still call me by a girl's name every time I walk through my front door after school." Richie whimpered.

Eddie could feel anger bubbling in his stomach, because _who could say such a thing to his Richie?_ , but he pushed it down, shaking his head and taking Richie's face into his hands carefully.

"Richie, I don't care." Eddie smiled slightly, "I don't care if you were born in a girl’s body; that's not who you are. And don't you dare try to tell me that you're not a boy because you're the realest boy I know.  
"Don't let your parents control you, they can't choose who you are. Forget their opinions; they don't matter, okay?" Eddie brushed his thumb along Richie's cheekbone, doing his best to console him.

"Okay." Richie whispered, finally beginning to smile, much to Eddie's relief. Richie also couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with joy, he was actually happy that he had told Eddie, because he was actually accepting of him.

"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" Eddie asked, as he continuously touched Richie's face gently, caressing his cheeks and his jaw and his silky hair.

Richie's cheeks warmed at Eddie's concern, and he shrugged slightly. "I just feel a little off, and my stomach hurts —nothing I can't handle." He smiled, holding one of his hands over his stomach, trying to soothe the pain.

Eddie smiled faintly, "Do you want to lie down? You must be tired." 

"Okay." Richie took Eddie's other hand in his, "Can you lie with me?" 

Eddie laughed softly, cupping one of Richie's cheeks and using his other hand to push some curls away from Richie's face before kissing his forehead. "Of course." 

Both of the boys climbed under the comforter together and Richie laid his head on Eddie's chest, nuzzling him in an attempt to stay warm. Eddie smiled, wrapping his arms around Richie's slender frame and holding him tightly.

Cautiously, Eddie slipped one of his small hands underneath Richie's hoodie and began rubbing his tummy gently to help ease the pain. "Is it okay if I do this? It'll make your stomach feel better."

Richie nodded, "Thanks, Eds." He slid his arms around Eddie's midsection, whimpering when he felt an especially intense wave of pain wash over him.

"Shh, it's okay, 'Chee." Eddie murmured, using his free hand to play with Richie's hair comfortingly.

"It hurts." He pushed his face into Eddie's chest, trying to focus on the rhythm of the smaller teen's heartbeat against his cheek rather than the ache in his stomach.

"I know, I know." He pressed a kiss to the top of Richie's unruly hair. "Take deep breaths, for me." Eddie wiped the tears from underneath Richie's glassy eyes and proceeded to rub his back softly.

Richie inhaled heavily, and then breathed out shakily, closing his eyes and holding onto Eddie tighter than before. "You're doing so well, bubba." He murmured, rocking Richie back and forth in his arms.

The next while was spent with Eddie soothing Richie and trying to coax him to sleep. He must've spent at least an hour stroking Richie's hair and drying his tears, until his whimpers ceased to sound and he began to snore softly.

Eddie smiled, relieved that Richie had managed to finally get some well needed rest. He reached his hand to the nightstand, to switch off the lamp and once he had done so, he settled back down with Richie in his arms.

Now that he had time to think over everything, he was quite overjoyed due to the fact that Richie had opened up to him about something so personal. He was glad that he could now help Richie through this, because it wasn't fair for him to endure this alone.

It didn't matter to him that Richie had been born into the wrong body, because he was still the same immature, flirtatious boy that Eddie had always known. He loved Richie for who he was, and unknown to him, Richie appreciated that more than he could ever say.

**Author's Note:**

> I may be writing more of trans!Richie if anyone wants to see that. Leave a comment if you do :)


End file.
